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Saturday will start off slow but as the day wears down the action will heat up.
Week three of the college football season offers some good matchups but you are going to have to wait until later in the day to get to the games that should not be lopsided. Also if you are not an SEC fan, you might not be too pleased with the offerings this week. It is what it is. When you have as many teams ranked nationally as the Southeastern Conference does, it stands to reason that your match ups are going to be the featured games. If you have a "honey-do" list for this weekend the early part of the afternoon would be a good time to get it done, but if you must watch football early (and I can hear Tom Ryle saying "You must, you must") check out my first matchup.
Nevada @ Texas A&M (17) - SEC Network/WatchESPN - 12 Noon Eastern
The results should be lopsided but the two teams should put on an offensive show. Nevada WR Hasaan Henderson will give the Ags all they want to handle on defense. Henderson is a Dallas-type wide receiver he is big, physical, and he can make plays. Former TAMU assistant Brian Polian has adopted Kevin Sumlin's up tempo approach to the game. If you like scoring and a fast pace them you will enjoy the game. The Ags are a five touchdown favorite but I don't see it being quite that lopsided; call it a three touchdown spread on Saturday. The odds are that you will get to see both of the high profile Aggie QBs at various times during the game. Kyle Allen may be the starter but Kyler Murray is right behind him. Both can get the job done for Sumlin's offense.
Georgia Tech (14) @ Notre Dame (8) - NBC - 3:30 PM Eastern
Our non-SEC game of the week still features a team from down south. The lower-ranked road team is actually a 2.5 point favorite in South Bend. The Irish faithful will have something to say about that. Someone is going to have to carry the load for Notre Dame because the Irish have already lost starting quarterback Malik Zaire, running back Tarean Folston and tight end Durham Smythe for the season. The Notre Dame defense is the team's strong suit this season and I expect them to rise to the occasion in front of the home crowd this Saturday. I am going against the experts on this one and taking the Irish in a nail biter.
Auburn (18) @ LSU (13) - CBS - 3:30 PM Eastern
The SEC West is the most competitive division in football at any level. The war to represent the division in the SEC Championship Game gets underway this weekend as the battle of the Tigers kicks off. This one might not be as good as it looks on paper. Auburn QB Jeremy Johnson was hyped to be the next Cam Newton but so far that has not materialized. He has three touchdown passes against five interceptions this season and even without defensive coordinator John Chavis (who has moved over to Texas A&M) to call the shots, LSU, now coached defensively by Will Muschamp, is tough.Give this one to the home team.
Ole Miss (15) @ Alabama (2) - ESPN - 9:15 PM Eastern
SEC fans will not have to wait long for round two of the war discussed above. Last year the Rebels put a good ol' down home butt whoopin' on Nick Sabin and the Tide. There will be no surprises this year in Tuscaloosa. Ole Miss will have to get it done the hard way. Their defense is strong and they can move the ball through the air. They question they will have to answer is can they find a running game? For Alabama to avenge their 2014 upset the Tide is going to have to get a big performance from QB Jake Coker and his corps of young but talented wide outs. Bama is also going to have to stiffen its defense on the corners to shut down the Rebels passing attack. Bama holds serve in this one but a close game validates the Rebels as a top flight SEC team.
BYU (19) @ UCLA (10) - FoxSports 1 - 10:30 PM Eastern
The final matchup of ranked teams comes from the west coast. BYU heads into the Rose Bowl with a trend of outscoring its opponents in the fourth quarter. The Cougars have a 30-0 scoring advantage in the final stanza of games this season. They have also had a lot of luck on their side; BYU QB Tanner Mangum must have a little Tony Romo blood in his system. UCLA, on the other hand, is playing some really good football. The Bruins, led by freshman passer Josh Rosen, are putting up over 35 points per game on offense.He is living up to the recruiting hype that followed him as a prep player, but now he faces a stern test in a BYU defense that allows less that 100 yards per game on the ground. He is going to have to prove he can get it done through the air against a ranked opponent. BYU is going to need another miracle this week to escape sunny LA with a win. I don't expect them to get their third in a row.
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